Skate with integral toe stop mount



Nov. 21, 1961 G. K. WARE SKATE WITH INTEGRAL TOE STOP MOUNT Filed May 12, 1960 INVEN TOR. Gordon/1K we United States Patent 3,009,709 SKATE WITH INTEGRAL TOE STOP MOUNT Gordon K. Ware, St. Charles, Ill., assignor to The Chicago Roller Skate Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Filed May 12, 1960, Ser. No. 28,674 2 Claims. (Cl. 280-112) This invention relates generally to rink-type roller skates and especially to sole plate constructions for rinktype roller skates.

Roller skate structures adapted for use in a rink commonly incorporate a protruding rubber element which can be urged against the rink fioor to act as a drag brake or friction stop. These rubber stops are frequently mounted at the forward or toe end of the skate structure; and the mounting of such a toe stop is usually made by means of a separate unit adapted to be attached at a convenient location on the skate structure, as for example on the front wheel truck assembly. Alternatively, the sole plate is fabricated by casting, a toe stop mounting boss being formed as part of the sole plate. The former of these approaches produces an arrangement which is unreliable and which is susceptible of coming unfastened. The latter approach results in an expensive, heavy structure 0bjected to by many skaters.

Accordingly, an important object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved roller skate structure.

Another object of the invention is to provide an inexpensive roller skate structure which incorporates a strong toe stop mounting means.

Yet another object of the. invention is to provide a roller skate structure in which the toe stop mounting means is not subject to coming unfastened.

A further object of the invention is to provide a lightweight sole plate for roller skate structures incorporating integral toe stop mounting means.

Additional objects and features of the invention pertain to the particular structure and arrangements whereby the above objects are attained.

A structure in accord with the invention includes a sole plate superposed on a pair of spaced, wheel truck assemblies and including a first sheet material member adapted to be horizontally disposed for receiving a skate shoe, a second sheet material member integrally joined to the first sheet material member to depend diagonally forward therefrom and a third sheet material member integrally joined to the end of the second sheet material member forming an upwardly opening, substantially right angular channel therewith and providing a mounting plate for a toe stop.

In order that the principle of the invention may be readily understood, a single embodiment thereof is shown in the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side-elevational view of a roller skate stru ture incorporating a sole plate arranged in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the roller skate structure of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the sole plate means of the invention.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, specifically to FIGS. 1 and 2, a roller skate structure indicated generally by the numeral is shown to include a sole plate 12 superposed on a front wheel truck assembly 14 and a rear wheel truck assembly 16. Rivets 18 or other suitable means are employed in securing the sole plate 12 to the wheel truck assemblies 14 and 16 Advantageously, wheel truck assemblies 14 and 16 are positioned in spaced relationship by means of a brace bar unit 20 in order to define a forward rolling center and an aft rolling center. However, since the front wheel truck assembly 14, the rear wheel truck assembly 16 and g the brace bar unit 20 comprise no part-of the present in'-" V mediate plate 22 is joined to the sole plate 12 todepend istically economical to manufacture.

diagonally forward therefrom. Furthermore, a mounting plate 24 is aflixed to the otherwise free end of intermediate plate 22 forming an upwardly opening substantially right angular channel with the plate 22. The mounting plate 24 is provided with an aperture 26; and, referring again to FIGS. land 2, a toe stop 28 will be seen fastened to the mounting plate 24 by means of a threaded stud 30' suitably secured in the toe 'stop 28 and passing through the aperture 26 to have a cooperatively threaded nut turned down over its free end. As will be apparent from FIG. 1, both thestud 30 and the nut 32 are disposed within the confines of the upwardly opening channel and below the shoe supporting plane or surface of the sole plate 12. I

In accordance with a feature of the invention, sole plate 12, intermediate plate 22 and mounting plate 24 are integrally joined as by being formed from a single piece of sheet material; and in a preferred embodiment of the invention, sole plate 12, intermediate plate 22 and mounting plate 24 are integrally fabricated from sheet steel by a metal stamping operation. and arranged, the plates 12, 22 and 24 comprise a strong, lightweight sole plate which incorporates a highly useful toe stop mounting means and which has proved character- Moreover, by providing the toe stop mounting means as an integral part of the sole plate, the possibility of the toe stop mounting means coming unfastened from the roller skate structure is effectively precluded.

Returning to the drawing, the sole plate 12 will be seen 7 perforated with a number of holes 34 which are adapted to pass therivets 18 in mounting the sole plate 12 to the wheel truck assemblies 14 and 16. In addition, sole plate 12 is apertured with a number of holes 36 which are provided for use in securing a skate shoe, not shown, to the roller skate structure 10.

The manner in which the present invention maybe practiced and the purposes to which it may be put are evident from the foregoing descriptions.

The specific example herein shown and described is intended to be illustrative only. Various changes in structure will, no doubt, occur to those skilled in the art; and these changes are to be understood as forming a part of this invention insofar as they fall within the spirit and tion and in a direction diagonally forwardly therefrom,

and a third sheet material portion integrally joined to the depending terminus of the second sheet material portion and extending upwardly and forwardly therefrom anddefining therewith an upwardly opening channel below the shoe supporting plane of said first portion; a toe stop fastened to the underside of said third portion; and

fastener means connected to the toe stop and extending through said third portion and including securing means I housed within the confines of the upwardly opening chan- 3,009,709 Patented Nov. 21,

So constructed, adapted References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 333,583 Yarger Jan. 5, 1886 Hohenadel July 28, 1908 Ferguson Sept. 29, 1908 Hartley et al. May 17, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS France May 13, 1953 Great Britain Dec. 21, 1933 

